Double Duty: 14 Actors Who Starred on 2 TV Shows at the Same Time
Hollywood can be a fickle business, but for some stars, acting jobs just seem to fall from the sky and right into their laps. You may (or may not) remember the stars who pulled double duty on the small screen, but this roundup is sure to jog your memory. Keep reading to see 14 actors who have been on two shows at the same time, then check out all the TV couples who became real couples.
Nasim Pedrad, Scream Queens
After leaving SNL the year before, Nasim Pedrad starred as the stuck-in-the-'90s serial killer Gigi Caldwell on Fox's Scream Queens in 2015.
Nasim Pedrad, New Girl
Coincidentally, Pedrad also played a police officer on New Girl in 2015; she landed the role of Aly Nelson, the new love interest of Lamorne Morris's character, Winston Bishop.
Niecy Nash, Soul Man
Niecy Nash joined the TV Land series Soul Man with Cedric the Entertainer in 2012, playing the role of his wife, Lolli Ballentine. It is currently in its fifth and final season.
Niecy Nash, Getting On
In 2013, Nash picked up the role of nurse Didi Ortley on the HBO comedy Getting On, which she played until 2015.
Niecy Nash, Scream Queens
From 2015 to 2016, she had a recurring role as the hilarious security guard Denise Hemphill on Fox's horror comedy series Scream Queens. That means that Niecy Nash is a hustler and has basically been on two TV shows at the same time twice.
John Stamos, Grandfathered
In 2015, the former Full House actor returned to TV with Grandfathered, starring as a ladies' man named Jimmy Martino who suddenly finds out that he has a son (and a grandchild).
John Stamos, Fuller House
While working on the Fox sitcom, Stamos also reprised his much-loved role as "Uncle Jesse" Katsopolis on the Netflix reboot Fuller House, and you can watch both shows on TV right now.
Nick Jonas, Scream Queens
Did you know that Nick Jonas was buff and shirtless on two TV shows in 2015? The singer had no problem showing off his muscles when he starred as gay frat boy Boone Clemens on Scream Queens.
Nick Jonas, Kingdom
Jonas played closeted boxer Nate Kulina on the DirecTV series Kingdom; of both roles, Jonas said he felt "honored" to play roles that impacted the LGBT community and called it "a blessing."
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Emmy winner Jon Hamm portrayed the successful, handsome, moody ad man Don Draper on AMC's Mad Men from 2007 to 2015.
Jon Hamm, 30 Rock
While on Mad Men, Hamm flexed his comedic muscles with a recurring role on 30 Rock; he played Liz Lemon's neighbor-turned-boyfriend, Dr. Drew Baird, from 2009 to 2012.
Diane Guerrero, Orange Is the New Black
The actress has played the role of Maritza Ramos on the Netflix series since 2013. While we haven't quite found out why she was sent to Litchfield, she has had some great one-liners over the years.
Diane Guerrero, Jane the Virgin
We get to see Guerrero out of her prison uniform on The CW's Jane the Virgin, where she has also starred as Jane's best friend Lina since 2014.
Allison Janney, Mom
Allison Janney has starred opposite Anna Faris as Bonnie Plunkett, a recovering drug and alcohol addict, on CBS's Mom since 2013.
Allison Janney, Masters of Sex
Janney starred on the Showtime series Masters of Sex as Margaret Scully from 2013 to 2015.
Matt McGorry, Orange Is the New Black
McGorry played correctional officer John Bennett on the hit Netflix series from 2013 to 2015.
Matt McGorry, How to Get Away With Murder
In 2014, McGorry began starring as law student Asher Millstone on ABC's How to Get Away With Murder. It has yet to be confirmed whether he'll appear in OITNB's fourth season, but either way he'll have a job.
Michael K. Williams, Boardwalk Empire
After ending his time on the gritty HBO drama The Wire, Williams moved to another series on the network, Boardwalk Empire. From 2010 to 2014, he played Atlantic City gangster Albert "Chalky" White.
Michael K. Williams, Community
Williams showed off his comedic chops on NBC's Community from 2011 to 2012 when he played Professor Marshall Kane.
Alison Brie, Mad Men
The actress began her portrayal of ad man Pete Campbell's wife, Trudy, in 2007 and stayed in the role until the show's end in 2015.
Alison Brie, Community
Brie joined the cast of NBC's Community in 2009 and starred as Annie Edison until 2015, when the show was canceled.
Maulik Pancholy, Weeds
Maulik Pancholy played Sanjay, a student-turned-drug-dealer, on Showtime's Weeds from 2005 to 2012.
Maulik Pancholy, 30 Rock
Pancholy held the role of Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin)'s devoted assistant Jonathan on 30 Rock from 2006 to 2013.
Zosia Mamet, Parenthood
Before nabbing the role of the sweet, somewhat ditzy Shoshanna Shapiro on Girls, Zosia Mamet played a smaller part, that of Amber Holt (Mae Whitman)'s friend Kelsey on the NBC show Parenthood from 2010 to 2011.
Zosia Mamet, Mad Men
Like Alison Brie, Mamet also worked on AMC's Mad Men, starring as Joyce Ramsay from 2010 to 2012.
Christopher Meloni, Oz
Meloni starred as bisexual inmate Chris Keller on the HBO prison drama from 1998 to 2003 — and had some pretty memorable nude scenes during his time on the show.
Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
In 1999, Meloni began his longtime run as the rough and tough detective Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He starred on both shows simultaneously until Oz went off the air in 2003 and continued portraying Detective Stabler until 2011.
Lisa Kudrow, Mad About You
In the ultimate résumé-building move, Lisa Kudrow once played two different characters on two different shows at the same time, then played both characters on one show.
She played the recurring role of Riff's Bar waitress Ursula Buffay on NBC's Mad About You from 1992 to 1999. The character was famously scatterbrained and flighty (sound familiar)?
Lisa Kudrow, Friends
In 1994, Kudrow landed her iconic role as Phoebe Buffay on another NBC series, Friends. Not only was she the estranged identical twin of her Mad About You character, but Ursula also made a number of appearances during the show's 10-season run; in a crossover episode that aired in 1995, two characters from Mad About You stop into Central Perk and mistake Phoebe for their forgetful Riff's waitress.